Kittens Have Claws
by michellephoenix275
Summary: What happens when a drunken fairy accidentally casts a spell and turns the Fairy Tail girls into cats? This is the story told whenever anyone decides it would be a good idea to get Levy McGarden drunk. Rated M for adult language and themes-and possible lemons in future chapters. *Fairy Tail (sadly) does not belong to me, but rather to the wonderful Hiro Masima.
1. Chapter 1

_Notes_

 ** _Okay guys, so this is a nice fluffy piece for Gejevy, who are, by the way, the cutest couple in all of literature (I might be just a little biased). This is an AU. Sort of. I really just made a couple of changes. Like, after Tartarus, the guild doesn't actually break up, because I am still in denial, I guess. This story takes place two years after the end of the Tartarus arc. The guild has been sort of peaceful, so everyone's guards are down and it is time for romance. Hope you enjoy it, my lovelies! :)_**

"…on, Levy; let's go!" Levy peeled her eyes from her book reluctantly as voices filtered through. She glanced up to see Lucy and Cana hovering over her with their hands on their hips and exasperated looks on their faces.

"What?" She asked. She had been caught up in her reading. She was researching shapeshifting, something that she's had on her mind since a fight with a band of six mages who could all shapeshift into another creature. Given their level of magic power, as well as the other magic that they used, the shapeshifting itself didn't seem to take that much power to accomplish, and, according to her research, it really didn't. There was one book in particular that she kept coming back to. This book had a spell in it that could give a mage the power to shapeshift at will with little to no expenditure of magic power after the first transformation, but the text was vague as to whether there were any side-effects.

Lucy snapped her fingers in Levy's face, making the small script mage focus again. "That's it, bookworm," She said sternly. "You have been sitting at that table for three days; we've had to keep reminding you to do things like eat, drink, and get up to go to the bathroom. You haven't slept, as far as we know." Levy tried to count backwards; surely it hadn't been that long… "This is an intervention, Lev." She said, pulling the girl up by the arm and dragging her away. Levy managed to grab the closest book—the one with the spell in it—as she was marched off. A band of other girls followed eagerly, grinning, as she was led to the backroom of the guild hall, where all of the liquor was stored. Mirajane shut the door behind them and grinned evilly as she switched on the light.

The group consisted of Levy, Lucy, Cana and Mirajane, of course, along with Lisanna, Erza and Evergreen. "W-what are you guys doing?" Levy stuttered, suddenly fearing what was about to happen. Terror shot through her as they all pulled bottles of alcohol off the shelves and sat in a circle on the floor. Mira pulled some shotglasses off a top shelf and passed them around.

"We," Cana said as she chugged down a mug full of beer, "Are getting you drunk, little blue." Her voice was filled with dark glee at the script mage's horrified face. "You need to unwind, girl! Have some fun. We need a girl's night."

That was easy for her to say; the brunette was already drunk, always drunk, and Levy…the last time Levy had been drunk had also been at Cana's doing, when she was 17, and she vaguely remembered a bar fight, and crying as Jet and Droy held her, and then she woke up in a storage closet half-dressed smelling like vodka and crushed dreams. She didn't want to repeat that.

"Don't worry, Levy," Erza said. "I will not allow a comrade to fall on my watch, even to the effects of these _delicious_ drinks." Levy turned. She knew that Erza was even more of a lightweight than her; the knight was already looking flushed, sipping a strawberry daiquiri.

"Seriously, Lev," Lucy said beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Just one game of 'Never Have I Ever'?" Cheers rang out, and Levy sighed giving in.

"Just one game," She conceded.

 _Three Hours Later…_

Levy giggled into her empty martini glass. "Show ush the thing." Lucy slurred, throwing a maraschino cherry at her friend's face. Levy laughed and batted the cherry away, instead reaching for the one at the bottom of what was once her cherry cosmo. "Do the thing! Do the thing!" came the drunken commands of her peers.

Levy popped the cherry, stem and all, into her mouth, a look of pure concentration on her face. Everyone's eyes were on her, watching for the big trick. It took her almost three minutes in her state, but finally, with a look of pure triumph, she opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue with a mangled "Tada!" There on her tongue sat the stem in a perfect knot, and the girls cackled and clapped. Levy stood on shaky feet and clumsily bowed, sitting back down hard as her head swam with the motion.

"I bet a shertain dragon shlayer loves that little trick 'a yours," Lucy said, giving the mage a wink.

The other girls giggled as Levy blushed. "I—You—I don't—we aren't like that, Lu-Lu." She said finally. "Just friends, for now. I mean, just friends. We're just…friends."

Mira leaned forward and put her hands on Levy's knees. "Come on, Levy, we know you two loooove each other," she purred, sounding a lot like Happy. "Tell us all about that kiss."

Levy opened her mouth in shock. She hadn't even told Lucy about that; how did Mira know? "How do you…"

Lucy gasped and turned Levy to look at her, hands pressed into her shoulders. "Kish? And I didn't know? I'm dish…disss…disappointed." She managed to get out.

Levy put her head in her hands as they all crowded around her, begging for details. "Okay! Okay!" She knew Gajeel was going to kill her for this, but something about the alcohol and Mira's glare meant she was not going to get out of this one. "The other night, after the Fantasia Parade," She started, amidst ooh's and ah's from her guildmates, "Well, the fireworks, and the music, and the adrenaline, and he, and I…" she blushed just remembering it. "We talked." They had, about everything they'd been through together, from Phantom Lord all the way up to now, all of the missions they'd gone on together, training together for years, growing closer and closer. "And then we were kissing." She waved her hand and smiled with a far-off look in her eyes.

"Oh, nuh-uh, girly. Spill. Is his tongue pierced?" Cana said, pouncing on the tiny mage and hugging her from behind, tickling her ribs.

Levy laughed so hard she cried as she tried to wriggle free from her grasp. "Yes!" She finally gasped, and Cana halted her assault.

"And?" Levy gave her a look. "And what did it _feel_ like?" She let out an exasperated sigh.

"Wonderful," Levy murmured before she could stop herself, then slapped a hand over her mouth. Cana giggled.

"You know, I've always wanted to know; Is his dick pierced?" Levy had been taking a sip of Erza's daquiri, safe since the woman had passed out an hour ago, and sputtered, coughing up the red liquid.

"W-what?! C-c-Cana! We only kissed!" She yelled loudly. But the card mage only laughed.

"You can't tell me, little blue, that you haven't thought about it."

Levy's blush deepened as her mind instantly went back to the hot dreams she'd been having recently, the ones where Gajeel shows up at her house in the middle of the night, looking all sexy and broody and throwing himself at her as soon as she opens the door, or that one where she showers at his place after training and he decides to join her. "I—that is-that's—Cana." Levy whined, knowing she was giving away too much, but they didn't push it.

"I think it's time for a round of shots roulette!" Lisanna shouted over the constant hum of giggling, drunk mages. Levy sighed in relief and shoved her shot glass forward.

Shots roulette, of course, as it always did at these parties they threw, turned into everyone just taking shot after shot after shot and betting on who would pass out first. Lucy went first, then Lisanna. Evergreen and Mira were head to head for a bit, until they started chugging a bottle of vodka each. They were out like lights. Cana of course barely seemed phased by the amount of alcohol she had consumed. And Levy was so drunk she was ignoring just how drunk she was. She assumed it was safe, since they were locked into this room, and hadn't had anyone barge in to interrupt them yet, despite the noise they must have been making. But she knew it would be pointless to battle it out with Cana, so she forfeited the match and fell back to lay on the floor. She pulled her book to her and tried to read, but the words kept swimming off the page, making her a little sick.

She was still going back to that one page, with the spell. She had done as much textual research as she possibly could. She needed to do a little experimental research. Not now, but when she was less inebriated, clearer-headed, she would try the spell. _A cat_ , she thought. _I would make a great cat_. She nodded off to sleep, curled around the book. She didn't notice her lips mouthing the words to the spell, or the huge drain of energy as she fell into a dark, dreamless, drunken sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Levy awoke slowly to the sound of meowing. At first, she thought she was still dreaming—meowing? Why would there possibly be meowing? She felt a sliver of horror in the back of her mind, but ignored it, focusing instead on her throbbing head and aching muscles. She sat up and stretched, yawning, and opened her eyes sleepily.

Now she _really_ though she was dreaming.

She was curled up in a blanket the same shade as her favorite orange dress. Around her were six cats tumbling about the storeroom of the guildhall. Vaguely she remembered bits and pieces of the night before—the "intervention," copious amounts of alcohol, and a few embarrassing confessions. But why did the storeroom look so big…and why was the room scattered with clothes…and where did these cats come from? Levy looked down and froze. The blanket the was wrapped in wasn't a blanket; it actually was her favorite dress. And her hands were paws, tiny, furry silver-blue paws. The other cats noticed then that Levy was awake and rushed over.

"Levy!" A long-haired yellow-white cat meowed at her. "Levy, we're cats!" She recognized Lucy's voice, and had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

A pretty tortoiseshell batted Lucy's ears with a paw. "No duh, Blondie," Came Cana's mew.

"There is no need for violence, Cana." Mira's voice came from a sleek white Siamese.

"Does anyone know what is going on?" Erza said, her brown eyes staring out of the face of a long-haired cat that looked suspiciously like a fox.

"Juvia would like to know this as well." The strange yet familiar voice came from a larger silver-blue cat with white ears.

"Big sis?" Lisanna slinked up, shivering against Mirajane. She appeared as a smaller, shorter-haired Siamese.

"Will everyone shut up already?" The angry mew came from a very regal-looking ginger tabby with long whiskers and big green eyes.

Levy's head was swimming. Instinctively, her head swiveled to look at the still open book about shapeshifting, and she let out a horrified mew, lowering her head and covering her ears with her paws.

"Lev?" Lucy mewed, nuzzling the small cat with her nose worriedly.

"Oh, Mavis," Levy groaned, raising back up to sit with her head hanging low. "This is all my fault." She said, and the others fell completely silent, eyes on the script mage. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this. It was just supposed to be me, and it wasn't supposed to be _now_. I haven't had time to prepare, or leave a note, or get someone to help me." Levy was babbling, still not able to think clearly just yet. She took a deep breath, feeling her ears twitch. "I'm so sorry guys." She said after a brief pause. "There was this spell," She pointed with her paw to the book beside her. "I didn't mean to cast it."

They were all silent for a moment. "So how do we undo it?" Erza asked after a minute, trying not to sound angry at the tiny mage.

Levy shuffled her paws, not meeting their eyes.

"You do know how to undo it, right, little blue?" Cana asked, inching closer to her.

"Well," Levy said, and the others froze, not daring to breathe. "That's the thing. That's why I didn't want to do it yet. There isn't a way to undo it."

Evergreen shrieked and jumped down from her perch on one of the liquor shelves. "What do you mean? Are you telling me we are now stuck like this, as _felines_ for the rest of our lives?" She spat.

Levy shook her head furiously, ears laying back on her head. "No! That's not what I meant. Sorry, I can't think clearly right now. My head is _pounding_." She glared at the other girls for good measure; this was all their faults, for trying to get her drunk. "This spell isn't just to turn you into a cat, at least, not permanently. This spell is to let you use shapeshifting magic." Lucy cocked her head at her friend curiously. "The thing is, the first time you 'shift,' you are stuck in the secondary form until the spell is complete."

"How long, exactly, does the spell take?" Mirajane asked, whiskers twitching.

"Twoweeks," Levy mumbled quickly.

Everyone was deceptively calm. "Two weeks?" Erza asked. Levy nodded, still staring at the floor. "We are going to be stuck in these small, defenseless forms for TWO WEEKS?!" The last words were screeched, the requip mages claws flexing in and out. Levy nodded sadly.

"Leeevyyy," Lucy whined, giving her friend an exasperated look. "Why would you even _think_ of casting a spell like that?"

"Don't give me that," Levy whined back, eyes snapping to her friend, begging her to believe her. "I had it all planned out, and I was going to make sure people knew about it, and I was going to talk to Hibiki from Blue Pegasus because if anyone could find any more information on this spell, he could. It was only going to be me! But then you guys had to drag me away from my research and get me drunk, and I don't even remember casting the damn spell!" She grew more and more frustrated as she went, tail twitching. The others stared sheepishly at her.

"My apologies, Levy." Erza said softly. "I realize that this must be just as difficult for you as it is for us." Levy dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Are you sure there is no way to turn us back early?"

"There is no way back. I don't think anything went wrong, so we should just turn back in two weeks. We could always talk to Hibiki anyway. If we can ever get out of this room." Levy sighed. The others' eyes widened, looking to the door like they just noticed that none of them had opposable thumbs. "But that isn't what I'm worried about. I'm worried about the rest of the guild." No one seemed to catch on. "I was going to let people know what was going on, so that no one would freak out when I disappeared for two weeks." It started to dawn on them then.

"Natsu's gonna freak," Lucy whispered with horror, imagining all the damage that Fairy Tail was going to have to take responsibility for.

"Master is going to declare war if we are all gone for that long," Mira groaned.

"My darling Gray will be so worried," Juvia stared off into the distance dreamily.

"Exactly," Levy said, nodding her head. "We either have to find a way to let the guild know what is going on, or make an excuse as to why we disappeared and tell the guild the excuse. Either way, we need to find a way out of here."

"We can't tell them what happened!" Cana exclaimed, slapping a paw on the ground. The others gave her confused looks, but she twitched her tail. "Can you imagine what they'd do to us as cats?" A shiver ran down the length of her spine.

Lucy imagined Natsu dragging her around by her tail, and Happy force feeding her fish and…"Happy!" Lucy exclaimed, jumping up, feeling slightly off-balance on all fours. "The exceeds, they can talk to cats, right?"

"Of course!" Levy said, excitedly waving her tail back and forth. "We can tell the Exceeds, and have them keep it quiet. We just need to get out of this room." She glance around. "And hide our clothes." The girls looked around and as a group started to push their clothes into a pile behind a crate. Levy gingerly picked up the collar of her dress in her teeth, flinching at the dry taste of it. "Mira, you are the only one who cleans in here, right?"

The white cat nodded, and fire flashed in her eyes. "No one else would dare mess up my organization system." She purred. The others inched away from her.

"Then no one should find our stash." Levy continued. "We should just be able to wait on Kinana to come in here to stock the bar, and sneak out the door. Then, we need to find Pantherlily."

"Why not Happy or Charle?" Lucy asked.

Levy shuddered. "Because Happy would take advantage of the situation, and Charle would lecture us all on the importance of using magic responsibly until everyone really did freak out on us." The girls nodded. "I really am sorry, guys." Levy sighed.

Erza lay her tail comfortingly on Levy's shoulders. "The blame is not all yours, Levy." She said in her most diplomatic voice. "We should have known. Nothing good ever comes from you getting drunk." Levy's head bowed lower, embarrassed.

Just then the door opened, and the eight cats crouched in the shadows nearby. Kinana stepped through the door, walking towards a shelf at the back of the room. Silently, they darted out the door and down the hall, sneaking past the few members at the guild hall so early in the morning, mostly just those that had been there since the night before and that were still sleeping off the effects of too much liquor. They quietly followed Levy as she led them out of the guild hall and down the road toward Gajeel's home, gaining a few strange looks from passer-by's who watched the parade of cats.

 _Notes_

 _Hey, all! This story may take a few chapters to get going, sorry. But I promise you'll like it! I will try to update at least weekly, promise. But I hope you enjoy this bit of fun! As always, Favorite, follow and review! And enjoy the show!_


	3. Chapter 3

They snuck in through the garden gate, around the house to the back door. Levy nosed a rock until it shifted, revealing a spare key, but realized she wouldn't be able to use it. The girls were sharing glances, that Levy tried to ignore, as they noted just how familiar she was with this place. She scrunched up her nose, the tip of her tail flicking back and forth in frustration. Then, she drew back her head and yowled, a horrid keening noise that made the others crouch down and lay their ears back.

The door was flung open to reveal a startled, angry-looking Pantherlily in his battle form, brandishing his sword before him. He glanced around, looking for the source of the scream, then looked down, eyes widening in surprise. "Well, hello there." He sheathed his sword and popped back into his smaller form, stepping up to Levy. "I don't believe I have seen you around here before."

"Lily, it's me," Levy said quickly, whiskers twitching with amusement when the Exceed jumped in surprise.

"Levy?!" He exclaimed. He glanced at the other cats crouching together on his porch, and shook his head. "I take it these are the guild members that dragged you off to get you drunk last night?" Levy nodded, and he rested his forehead on his paw, a helpless, long-suffering look on his face. "What happened?" He sighed.

As quickly as she could, Levy explained the situation to him, including why they couldn't tell the rest of the guild what is going on, and what they needed him to do. She could see Lily trying not to laugh as she finished her spiel. "So, basically, we need you to cover for us."

Lily took a moment, inhaling endlessly, trying to control the humor growing within his chest—to no avail. He burst out laughing, clutching his stomach and bowing with the force of his mirth. After several frustrating minutes, Levy whining the entire time, he stood back up and wiped his eyes. "I heard tell of the infamous Drunk Levy. I assumed that giving an already clumsy, accident-prone mage copious amounts of alcohol could never end well. But I never thought..." He laughed again, and Levy just glared at him.

"Will you help us, or not?" Levy asked. She would be blushing, half-embarrassed, half-angry, were she not, in fact, a cat.

Lily waved a paw at her and shifted back to his battle form, opening the door and gesturing them inside. "Of course. Come on inside. Gajeel's at the guild hall looking for a job. I'll make you some breakfast."

The girls gratefully followed him inside, their stomachs rumbling hungrily. They didn't see the mischievous glint in Lily's eyes. The girls may have had a plan on how to get through these two weeks, but Lily had sat back long enough watching them go back and forth, teasing their men, never getting their shit together long enough, and he was tired of staying out of it. He had been looking for the perfect opportunity to meddle, and, now, here it was; he was going to take full advantage of it.

He set a big plate of fish and a large bowl of cream on the counter, and the cats hopped up, licking their lips before digging in. Evergreen snorted disdainfully at the archaic sight, but hunger won out, and she, too, tucked her tail around her paws and bent her head, nibbling daintily at the food. Once they had eaten their fill, they curled up on the couch, hashing out their game-plan for the next several days: They would have Lily tell the guild they were all leaving on a mission—top secret, of course—and then they would seek out Hibiki at Blue Pegasus. Lily would go with them, acting as translator. Hopefully, the wizard would be able to help them break out of the spell's hold early, but if he could not, two weeks was a trifling time. One by one, the girls grew sleepy, nodding off, and Lily grinned. Evergreen, the last to eat, was the last to fall asleep, so she caught a glimpse of Lily picking Levy up gently and putting her in a box, then Lucy, and Erza. She tried to mew out a warning, but the darkness of sleep was closing in, and she passed out.

…

There were strange voices, and shapes moving above her, when Levy awoke. She blinked her eyes, head pounding like she'd had another drinking competition with the other fairies. She struggled to her feet, stumbling a little, off-balance. Oh, yeah, she had almost forgotten; she was a cat. Her tail flicked, and she turned her head, trying to figure out where she was. Something around her neck felt strange. And there were brown walls climbing above her head. She looked down and saw a soft fleece blanket, one she recognized from Gajeel's couch. Something was definitely going on. The others were beginning to stir, mewing in confusion. Levy noticed each had a ribbon around her neck, a different shade, tied in a big bow, like an adorable present. She craned her neck and managed to see the tail of her own crimson velvet ribbon. Looking up, she saw, through a small hole in a folded roof, a scarred eye, surrounded by black fur.

"And you can't tell the others." She heard Lily say. "I know you have watched them all dance around each other. I've had enough."

"They liiiiike each other." Horror shot through Levy, sending a tingle down her spine that made her fur stand on end—a thoroughly strange sensation.

"Exactly. They will be perfectly safe."

"Which girls, exactly, are they?" Levy heard Charle's voice, and prayed that she would be the voice of reason that would save them.

"From their appearance, and what I witnessed when Miss Levy was dragged off last night, I would say Lucy, Erza, Juvia, Cana, Mirajane, Lisana, and Evergreen." Lily answered.

Levy heard Charle scoff, then chuckle scheming-ly, and hung her head in defeat. "Good. All the fairies who need to have some sense knocked into them. Maybe their time as 'lowly felines' will teach them to appreciate good manners a little more."

"So you agree? You won't let the others know about our situation? You will help me?" Levy didn't miss the glee in Lily's voice as the others affirmed their help. She saw that the others were awake and staring around with the same look of fear, horror, and disbelief; they had heard enough to guess the situation—they had been betrayed. They were in a box. They looked like presents. And based on the conversation Levy had just heard, she knew exactly what Lily was about to do.

As the box moved, being picked up and carried, Levy crouched down, closing her eyes tight and placing her paws over her ears, trying to block it all out.

 _Notes_

 _So, sorry, lovelies, for the delay. I got caught up in other stories, and life. Bit of a health problem; nothing to worry about now. Plus weather, work, work again, family. Things here got_ **insane** _. Buuuut. I am back again, and will hopefully be churning out chapter after chapter for all of my stories here soon. I hope you enjoy this little twist; sorry, not a lot happened, but I had to get it all set up for the next chapters—they will be longer, more full of fun things, and better. Until then, my pretties, Favorite, follow, and review! Thank you, so much._


	4. Chapter 4

The feeling of being carried in a box was disorienting; she finally understood why Natsu complained so much about his motion sickness. She heard the bustle of the guild hall as Lily carried them through the doors.

"Hey, Natsu!" She heard Happy yell. "Guess what! We found these kittens abandoned, and there's one here that's perfect for you!" Levy glanced to Lucy, who's ears lay flat against her head, her wide eyes looking with panic at the hole in the top of the box. They were set down, presumably on a table, and the box opened—not enough for an escape attempt, but enough that Lily's hands were able to reach in and scoop Lucy up.

"Aww, he's kinda cute." Levy heard a hiss, followed by "Ow!" from the fire dragon slayer.

Happy giggled. "It's a she." He said evilly.

"Well, _she_ 's cute. And feisty. I like her!" Levy could see him holding Lucy up like Simba in the Lion King. "Everybody, meet Loopy." He proclaimed. Levy covered her head with her paws.

"Loopy?" Laxus asked.

"Yeah, she kinda reminds me 'a Lucy, and look at that starry ribbon. It's perfect." He defended.

"Oi, Laxus, we found one for you, too." Lily called. They heard a chair scoot back and heavy footsteps make their way over. Lily reached in, grabbing Mira, who seemed all too eager to be lifted away to her fate.

There was silence. They could just barely see Laxus' face, if they craned their necks. He and Mira stared each other down for a moment before Mira reached out and placed a paw on his nose. Laxus blushed. "I guess she's alright." He grunted, taking her from Lily and held her with surprising gentleness, scratching her behind the ears. They could hear Mira's purring from their prison.

"Bacchus?" Happy called. Bacchus, who, while not being an actual member of Fairy Tail, was almost a permanent fixture in their bar, stumbled over and peered into the box. He took one look at the cats, then looked back up at Lily suspiciously, then back at the cats. Levy saw a thought spark in his mind, and an evil grin grow on his face, and he reached in, grabbing Cana by the scruff of her neck despite her complaining and clawing at his hand.

He laughed. "This one's got spunk. Come on, Sparkles." He said, sauntering away. Cana froze at the name and looked up at him in shock. Sparkles was what he called her when they were alone, because of Fairy Glitter. He figured it out? And he still played along? Oh, the next two weeks were going to be hell for him.

Charle glanced around. "Has anyone seen Je—Mystogan today?" She asked. Jellal was still part of Crime Sorciere, but their presence had not been needed much, lately, and he seemed to be spending a lot of time around the guild, and around a certain red-head. The wizard appeared suddenly behind the Exceed, and she turned, unsurprised. I believe this one is best suited for you." She said, none too gently pulling Erza up and out of the box and dumping her in his arms. He juggled the cat for a moment before looking down into Erza's eyes. Erza's mind was busy in the gutter, thinking of all the things she would see she wasn't supposed to. "Yes, you are right, I think this one suits me well." He said simply, walking away and stroking her from head to tail.

Elfman stepped forward. "Did you find a cat _man_ ly enough for me?" he asked.

"Sort of," Lily answered. "We think this one is so dainty and feminine that it will emphasize your manliness." He managed to say it with a straight face, carefully lifting Evergreen free of the box. She was glaring regally, claws flexing in and out, tail swishing back and forth.

"You're right. She's perfect!" He hugged her to his chest suddenly, and Ever's eyes went wide. She struggled in vain to free herself from his grip.

Juvia suddenly leapt toward the top of the box, snagging a claw in the cardboard and dangling there. She let out a pained mew and struggled to free herself. One ice-cold hand reached in and held her still while another freed her claw. Gray pulled Juvia free, and she leapt out of his hands and up to his shoulder, where she perched, purring and rubbing her head against his cheek. He crossed his arms and acted like nothing was amiss; he was used to a certain female clinging to him. The cat was no different.

"Hey, has anyone seen Juvia today?" He asked, realizing she hadn't been clinging to him today. Juvia began purring louder, kneading her paws on his shoulder.

"I think I saw her with that group of girls that locked themselves downstairs with all the booze last night." Someone offered.

"That group of girls went on a mission, early this morning," Charle said firmly. "They will not be back for about two weeks. Top secret." No one dared question the level headed Exceed, but several members of the guild pouted.

"Hey Bixlow!" Happy hollered, swooping down to grab Lisanna and flying to the Seith mage, dropping the terrified cat into his lap. Lisanna dug her claws into his thigh and pressed her head against his stomach, curling into a tight ball as though trying to hide.

"Hey, baby!" He said, prying her free. "You don't need to be afraid. Bixie here's gonna take care of ya." He brought her close enough to see that behind the mask, his eyes were soft and caring, and she mewed and let him cuddle her close.

"That just leaves the runt." Lily said. Levy stared at him accusingly as she was pulled out of the box and held up for them to see.

"Aww, she's so tiny and cute!" Droy said, stepping forward with Jet at his side.

"She's just like Levy, all weak and helpless. We'll take care of her!" Jet said. Levy huffed indignantly and swung herself up, trying to claw her way free of Lily's hand.

With a shocked cry, he let go of her, and she fell toward the floor, which happened to be a long, long way down for a tiny creature. A rough, gentle hand caught her before she could land, however, and she was lifted to meet two eyes that matched her ribbon—ruby red and soft as velvet.

"Nah, she ain't helpless," Gajeel said with a smirk. "She's just small. She's a fighter. I'll take her." Jet and Droy pouted, but didn't argue with the iron dragon slayer; they knew better. Levy sighed as Gajeel held her against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat; it warmed her. She began purring, rubbing her head against his hand as he started petting her. "See, she likes me." His voice was softer. "Come on, Little Blue." He said as he headed for the door. "Let's take you home."


	5. Chapter 5

**_Note on story structure from here forward: Each chapter will follow one of the girls through a day in their life as cats. I might, but probably won't, end up covering every day. It depends on how much trouble they can get themselves in to. So, this is going to be day one for Levy. Next will probably be day one for Lucy, and so on. And remember, they are a few hours into their first day already, so the first-day chapters may end up being a bit shorter._**

 _DAY ONE_

 _Levy_

Levy couldn't stop purring.

It wasn't for lack of trying; she didn't _want_ to let Gajeel know just how much she enjoyed being with him, being held and carried by him. But the way he was stroking her from the top of her head to the base of her spine left her a puddle of contented goo. She tried to stop the sound that reverberated through her entire body to the tips of her long whiskers, but it matched his heartbeat so well, dancing together to create a lullaby that had her closing her eyes and drifting away as he carried her to his house. She forgot why she'd been so angry or frightened or whatever dark emotion had been rushing through her and lost herself to his amazing fingers.

 _Is this what it's always like, being a cat?_ She thought to herself sleepily. _Because I could get used to this_. She was so caught up that she didn't notice when he paused for a brief second to open and close his front door and walked her up the stairs to his bedroom. He gently put her down on the bed, then lay out on his side and resumed stroking her, smirking when she pressed herself against his chest again to feel his heartbeat.

"Gihi," I guess you really do like me." He said, ruffling the fur between her ears. She harrumphed, annoyed as he stopped petting her, and opened her eyes. Finally, she noticed the change in venue.

 _Holy Mavis, I'm in his bedroom!_ She squeaked in her mind. _I am alone with him, in his bedroom, on his bed!_ She felt suddenly very naked, despite knowing she was, in fact, a cat, with fur that covered every inch of her body. Nonetheless, she felt naked, and shivered, a chill suddenly running the length of her spine.

Gajeel was still giving her that smirk. But it was less of a smirk, and more of a smile, like he found her presence as comforting to him as he was to her at the moment. They stared at each other for a minute, just breathing in the silence of the house. Then Gajeel slapped a hand down on the bed, making Levy jump. "You must be hungry, then. Come on, let me make you something to eat." He stood, patting his leg as he walked out of the room. Levy made to follow, but stopped at the end of the bed. His bed was surprisingly high off the ground, higher than that tabletop had been that she plummeted off of earlier. "Come on, Little Blue." He urged. "You're a fighter; you can do it."

Levy cocked her head at him. He had been the first one in her entire life to encourage her like that. Everyone else had always seen her as the small, helpless, adorable little Levy McGarden that needed to be coddled and protected, but he had seen the potential for a bad-ass fighting machine from day one. He had always encouraged her to make her own way, but let her know he would be there to help her if she needed it. And he had recognized the spirit in her that told her the same thing.

Levy steeled herself, backed a couple steps away from the edge, then ran forward, springing off the bed, heart pounding as the floor veered towards her face. She landed lightly, though, gracefully, her forepaws hitting first, then her back paws, tail swishing triumphantly. She gave him a victorious mew and followed the chuckling dragon slayer from the room. The stairs looked a little daunting, but she managed them well enough. It was a lot more work, though, as a cat. Gajeel led her into the kitchen, where she hopped up on a barstool, then onto the counter, and sat expectantly.

Gajeel blinked and laughed. "Gihihi, you certainly know your way around a house. You sure you're abandoned." Levy's head dipped in acknowledgement, and he paused. "Can you understand me?" He said curiously. Levy wanted to laugh. He sounded so unsure. She knew why; normal cats couldn't talk, or understand humans. But he was a wizard, raised by a dragon, who lived with a flying, talking, warrior-cat. She dipped her head again and looked at him with an amused expression. He smiled wider. "So I have two super-smart cats. Cool. So, Blue, what do you want to eat today? I don't have any cat kibble." Levy scrunched up her face in disgust. He didn't think she would actually eat that, did he? "Okay, no kibble. I was going to make chicken and rice for dinner. You want some chicken?" Levy mewed in response and curled her tail over her paws. "Chicken it is." He grabbed a bowl out of the cabinet and turned on the tap, filling it with cool water. "Here ya go." He said, setting it down in front of her. Levy mewed in thanks and drank greedily, just realizing how parched she was—being extremely drunk, then hungover, then drugged, and hungover again didn't make a girl feel very good.

Levy watched in amusement as Gajeel donned a black and red "Kiss the cook" apron before pulling out pans and food. He hummed to himself as he worked, almost dancing as he moved around the kitchen with a practiced ease. She liked seeing him this calm. She could get used to watching him cook; she shook her head as an image of him doing the same wearing _only_ the apron flashed in her mind. She swiped a paw over her ear, and would have blushed if she could.

Then her eyes caught something and held it, making her freeze.

The strings of his apron ties swung from the small of his muscular back, dangling over his perfect ass. She felt some instinct rising in her, and was unable to stop herself from dropping silently into a crouch and creeping to the edge of the counter. Without warning she pounced, leaping off the counter with a playful yowl, paws outstretched toward the ties. Luckily for him, Gajeel heard her and spun, catching her before her claws could sink into his skin. "Oh, no, you don't," He said. "Attacking people is bad." He carried her to the living room and placed her on the floor. Glancing around, he found a piece of string and made an odd, mobile-like contraption from his iron, hanging it from a hook in the ceiling, as well as a tiny iron bell. He attached the bell to one end of the string and let it hang from the mobile, the bell just within Levy's reach if she stretched up. Her eyes lit up. When she batted at the bell with a paw, the string moved, the mobile spinning. Her heart raced, and she was instantly entranced with his invention.

Gajeel returned to his food, hearing the tinkling of the bell and the soft mews of frustration as the kitten played with her new toy. She kept playing until he called her for dinner. He even had to go remove the string to get her attention. "We'll play more later, Blue. It's time to eat now." Her ears perked up and she leapt back up to the counter to where he had a saucer with some chicken cut small so she could eat it and a handful of rice. She licked her lips. She knew how good a cook he was; it was legend within the guild, though no one said anything about it to him, or to Mirajane, since he far outdid even her best dishes.

He didn't disappoint. The chicken was tender and juicy and perfectly season, so that, even as a cat with strange taste buds, it was delicious, and the rice was perfectly cooked. She licked the plate and smacked her lips when she was finished, mewing her appreciation to him. She glanced down to see grease on her paws and instantly bowed her head to clean it off. Her paws became her legs, became her shoulder, and soon she began rasping her tongue over everything she could reach, feeling a wonderfully clean sensation at the soothing act. _No wonder cats are always licking themselves, if this is what it feels like._ She mused. While she finished, Gajeel stood and cleaned the kitchen, still humming. They finished their tasks at the same time.

Gajeel yawned. "I think it's about time for bed, little one," He said, picking her up and cradling her to him. Levy looked up at him and mewed in argument. She wasn't sleepy; it was time to play some more. Gajeel smiled like he knew what she wanted. "We'll have more fun tomorrow. For now, it's late. Come on." Levy sighed and let him carry her back upstairs.

Wait.

Did he expect her to sleep with him?

In his bed?

All night?

Her heart beat faster, and she looked up at him. But he began petting her again, and her eyelids fell lower, and she lost her train of thought to the incessant purring.

He set her back on the bed, and walked to his dresser, pulling out a clean pair of boxers. Levy was so at ease from his attention, she almost didn't understand what he was doing as he pulled his shirt over his head. Then, of course, she was too distracted by the perfect sculpting of his torso—seriously, whatever gods were above spent a lot of time shaping this man just right—to look away as he unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down. She snapped out of it at last when he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his boxers and began sliding them down, turning as quickly as possible in shock. She crouched panting on his bed, eyes wide, ignoring the voice in her head that wanted her to turn around, since this was the perfect opportunity to get an eyeful—the voice sounded a lot like Cana, she mused off-handedly. Gajeel slid into bed under the covers, then grabbed Levy and hugged her close to his bare chest. She froze as her paws came in contact with his smooth skin, blemished by scar after beautiful scar.

"Night, little Blue," He murmured, and he was asleep in seconds, still holding her close. His heartbeat, his long, deep, slow breathing, and her purring lulled her back into that hypnotic state before she could object to being curled against an almost naked man, and she followed him into the land of dreams.


End file.
